Timeless Season 2 Revisited
by AggieReader
Summary: What if Wyatt hadn't lost his mind and immediately left to find Jessica? What if he had been frazzled, but still the smart Delta Force soldier we knew? How would that have changed the situation?
1. Chapter 1 - Miracles and Nightmares

**Hi, everyone! I keep going around and around in my head about Jessica's return, and I've finally started putting them on paper. I will warn you – I have no idea how far I plan on taking this. I really don't want to write the entire second half of season two. However, I want to get this out there, for others to enjoy as well. I am an absolutely Lyatt shipper, but I will try to be nice to Flynn. Throughout the piece, I try to keep a few quotes, and try to keep to main dates/names, but sometimes my fact-checking may be spotty. Please enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1 – Wyatt's Miracle and Lucy's Nightmare**

Wyatt stared into Lucy's eyes, caught in the happiness gleaming from them, when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached for it and barely took a glance, then took a double glance as all the blood rushed to his head.

"Wyatt? Wyatt, what is it? Wyatt!"

But Wyatt could barely here her. How? How was it…?

"MARRI! Marri!"

* * *

"Wait, what do you mean "Lucy and Wyatt finally did it?"

Rufus pointed and laughed at Jiya, sitting in her chair at the control panel. "I won! I won the bet! Its time to pay up!"

Jiya's brows furroughed. "Rufus, what bet? What are you talking about?"

"About Lucy and Wyatt finally getting together! Getting' their freak on! In 1941 no less!" Rufus bounced on his toes excitedly. Man, he couldn't wait to get paid. Jiya promised if he won, he would get that special move she did, as she slithered down him…

"MARRI! Marri!"

Rufus turned as Wyatt came roaring down the hallway towards them. He went to step in front of Jiya, but Wyatt just shoved him aside, and grabbed Jiya by the arms. "Hey man! Not cool!" Rufus protested. He grabbed Wyatt by the bicep, but it was rock solid.

"Jiya, who is Jessica?" Wyatt shouted.

What the hell?

* * *

"Jiya, who is Jessica?" Wyatt shouted into Jiya's face.

Lucy stood stunned behind him. He'd gotten a call and then…no….

"Your – your wife," stuttered Jiya.

"And when did she die?" Wyatt roared.

Jiya shook her head. "She – she didn't."

"WHAT?" Rufus shouted.

Oh, God. Wyatt's miracle had happened. And Lucy's nightmare begun.

* * *

"WHAT?" Rufus shouted.

Wyatt just stared at Jiya. "What do you mean, she didn't die?" He whispered haggerdly.

Jiya looked at him concerned. "I thought the mission went okay. Were you worried something happened to Jessica's timeline while you were gone? I can look, but last I checked she was fine."

Fine. She was fine. His wife, his Jessica, was fine. Holy shit.

The world narrowed as Wyatt crashed into a chair.

* * *

Rufus ogled at Wyatt, who looked dazed. He glanced at Denise, who looked confused, then looked at Jiya who seemed equally confused. "Wait, just wait. You are telling us that in this timeline, Jessica is what? Alive and kicking?"

Denise and Jiya nodded.

"She wasn't in your timeline?" Denise questioned.

Rufus turned to see Flynn standing with his arms crossed, watching the entire dramatic scene play out. This day just got weirder and weirder.

"No," Rufus shook his head. "No, in our timeline, Jessica died years ago. She was…"

"Murdered. She was murdered." Wyatt whispered. He looked absolutely stunned and stupefied.

Rufus shoved Jiya over from the computers and began frantically typing. There had to be an explanation.

"Maybe, maybe its something we did," came a tiny voice.

The hairs on Rufus' neck rose. He whipped around to see Lucy standing just behind Flynn. She stood with her arms crossed, her head bowed, and in those big, baggy clothes, she looked like a child who just learned that Santa didn't exist. Oh God, Lucy and Wyatt. They had just…and now…

* * *

Lucy's mind was racing. She could see Rufus typing quickly on the computers, but Lucy's mind was ahead of him. "Maybe, maybe its something we did." She said.

She moved forward towards Rufus. "That security guard in 1941, he died. That wouldn't have happened if the Rittenhouse agent hadn't shot at us. You said Heddy renewed her patent and her money made it big – that could have impacted any number of people, hundreds, maybe even thousands."

"No," Rufus said. "No, Lucy I don't think that was it. According to the records, while we were in 1941, the Mother Ship went back to San Diego, 1980, for approximately an hour."

Well, shit, Lucy thought. That complicates things.

"Rittenhouse?" Denise exclaimed. "Why the hell would Rittenhouse go back to San Diego? What would that have to do with Jessica? How would that bring her back?"


	2. Chapter 2 - The Rittenhouse Long Game

**Chapter 2 – The Rittenhouse Long Game**

Carol stood in the large room, waiting on the Mother Ship to land, when the ground started vibrating. With a loud bang and a whoosh, it arrived back on the landing pad. Rittenhouse members quickly ushered the portable staircase under the door. She waited for the passengers to tell her the news. The door began to slide open and then,

"Goddamnit! Goddamnit, we need to take care of that son-of-a-bitch! Right now!"

Carol sighed. Well, that couldn't be good.

As she watched, Dennis and Emma came out of the Mother Ship. Dennis's son, Lucas, was supposed to come out too, but he didn't follow. She looked at Emma, and Emma shook her head. Dennis marched up to Carol, and stuck his face into hers.

"That goddamn soldier boy shot my son, Carol! I watched as he did it! You said he had been taken care of! I want him hurt and I want him gone!" Spittle flew from his mouth.

Carol glanced at Emma. Emma sighed and then said, "The Three Musketeers figured out what we were up to, somehow. Lucas was passing off the film to Hearst's guy when Wyatt opened fire. Rufus helped, but it was Wyatt that killed him."

"It was supposed to be an easy mission! I told him he was going to come home!" Dennis began sobbing. "I need to avenge him! I need to take care of that problem!"

Emma placed her hand on Dennis' shoulder. "Dennis, you have to go home to Martha. You need to grieve, and to take care of funeral preparations. We will take care of Wyatt, and your son will be avenged, I assure you. You have to trust us."

Dennis nodded. "Yes, yes of course. I need to go to my wife and tell her. But you promise me, you promise he will suffer."

Emma smiled a little smile, "Oh he will. He and Lucy both."

A cold streak of fear went shivering down Carol's spine. This wasn't supposed to happen.

* * *

Emma could not wait. All she had experienced for months now was failure, all because that little bitch Lucy. Everyone thought Lucy just walked on water. Well, Emma was the one who had sat there for nearly a damn decade without modern plumbing. And what did she get? "Oh, we have to treat Lucy well!" She was the one who gave up her life, and what did she get? "No, Emma, we have to treat Lucy like fucking royalty!" She was done.

Emma turned to Carol. "Its time to put our plan into action. To get Wyatt out of the way, and by doing so, either leave Lucy vulnerable or leave her so unmotivated she will have trouble brushing her teeth, needless to say time travel."

Carol stepped towards Emma. "I won't let you hurt her. Even if she is against us right now, I know she will realize she is in the wrong. She is Rittenhouse!"

"Emma's right."

Emma smiled. And here came her new boy toy. Just as she hoped.

Nicolaus walked towards them slowly, staring at the time machine. "It still baffles me that this machine can make all of our dreams come true." He gazed at the machine, and then turned and looked at Carol. "But Lucy, and her cohort Wyatt, are blocking our efforts. Emma has devised a plan that will keep Lucy somewhat safe, but possibly end our troubles. You should listen to her. We could use her leadership."

Emma smirked at Carol's eyes shifted from Emma, to Nicolaus, and back again. "Hmmm. And just what is this grand plan, Emma?"

Emma clapped her hands together. "What is the best way to get a man to do what you need? Lead him around by the penis. And that's what we are going to do."

Nicolaus shuddered and held his hands up. "Please, women should refrain from such vulgarity. Even if you insist on dressing like a man."

Emma rolled her eyes. Crazy old prude. "Excuse me. We should convince him to leave the project through his weakness – love. Wyatt has never forgiven himself for his wife's death. We know he took the Lifeboat out to try and save her, somehow, and he failed. Now, all we have to do is give her back, and we won't have a broken Wyatt anymore. He'll be so ecstatic, he'll want to spend all of his time with her."

Carol shook her head. "He's a soldier. He may want to spend time with her, but he'll put the mission first."

Emma grinned. "That's okay. You see, we'll save Jessica. We'll get to her so early, that she will be raised with us, loving us, and when the time comes, she'll work for us. If he takes her back, we'll gather all the intel we could need as she batts her pretty eye lashes and gets Wyatt to talk on the pillow with her."

Carol appraised Emma with a look. "Its smart. But how does it get him out of the way, or Lucy out of the way?"

Emma chuckled. "After this last mission, let's just say Lucy will be heartbroken if Wyatt's wife is back in the picture. It will be a lovely little love triangle. I figure either Wyatt will quit the mission, or more likely, be so distracted with his new found fortune that he won't be able to help poor Lucy out of some historical trouble she may find herself in. And Lucy will be so heartbroken that she will either quit, or, eh, slip and fall on that pretty head of hers."

"Now, now," Nicolaus cautioned. "She is my great granddaughter. Carol, with this plan, she may even see the good we did for Wyatt, bringing back his wife, and decide to join our ranks. Either way, it can't hurt our cause." He slid a hand down Emma's shoulder. "Can you do it now, before they even get back?"

Emma smiled. "For you, anything. We have just the asset to put in place."

* * *

San Diego, 1980

A bird chirped, then squawked loudly as a large round object burst into the scene. There was a sliding noise as a door opened in the canister, and then a man fell out, retching. A red haired woman followed.

"Ugh, just stand up, it'll pass in a second." Emma rolled her eyes at the man. What a sissy.

The young man put his hands on his knees, and shakily brushed his mustache. He stood up slowly, his thin body towering over Emma's. He squared his shoulders, fixed his glasses, and brushed his black hair. "So that is what you do all the time. My goodness."

"Yea, yea," Emma retorted. She began walking forward. "Follow me, we have a long walk."

"Quite, yes," the young man said, and followed her.

Emma handed him a journal, a digital phone, and a recharging tube. "Remember, use the phone as little as you can. The portable recharger should stay charged, but it is theoretical. The journal includes all of what you should do. Repeat back to me what you have discussed."

"Um, I am to apply to the listed medical schools and go through medical school – again, may I add. I am supposed to conduct research resulting in stem cell discoveries. I am supposed to, at some point, reach out to a Dan and Mindy Jackson, whose son will be ailing from cancer. I am supposed to get them to agree to the treatment, and get them to love me, essentially. Then, I will be met with another Rittenhouse agent, and we will convince them to become agents of Rittenhouse, via their daughter, Jessica."

Emma smiled. "That's correct. You are going to find a woman named Carol Preston. She is your Rittenhouse contact. You will give her the journal to read. She will know just what to do."

Oh, if only Emma could see Wyatt and Lucy's faces when they got her little surprise.


	3. Chapter 3 - Paralyzed with Fear

**Author's Note: I tried to plug up a couple of holes I felt this episode and a few others had. If you are an avid viewer, you'll figure it out. I tried to do a little research about cancer treatment in the 1980s, but don't count this piece as being completely historically accurate.**

 **Chapter 3 – Paralyzed by Fear**

"Rittenhouse?" Denise exclaimed. "Why the hell would Rittenhouse go back to San Diego? What would that have to do with Jessica? How would that bring her back?"

"Wait, wait," interjected Jiya. "How is it possible for Emma to pilot back to 1980? Wouldn't that be awful close to her timeline? You can't travel back to your own timeline, that's the rule!"

Flynn scoffed. "Seriously, aren't you supposed to be the smart one? You didn't realize that Anthony had calculated how someone could travel back and forth safely, once you learned he had been in Houston at the moon landing?"

Conner shouted, "I knew it!"

Wyatt jerked his head up. "What does it matter? Jessica's alive! Shouldn't we, I mean, they could hurt her. We have to get to her before they do." He surged up from the chair. "We have to get to her now!"

Denise stepped in front of him. "Wait, just one moment. Let's think about this. Maybe it's something that you did in 1941, or maybe its something Rittenhouse did in 1980. Either way, in my timeline, you have been working with us for months, and they haven't hurt her yet. I think we are okay to take some time here."

"Take some time?" Wyatt exclaimed. He couldn't believe this. He had wished for this for years, hoped for it, and his dreams had finally come to life and he was being told to take his time? "What do you want to do, Denise? Do you want me to sit on my hands and just twiddle my thumbs and wait for something to happen? No way!"

"Think, Master Sergeant!" Denise shouted! "I want you to think! How do we determine if this is a threat?"

"A threat?" Wyatt ran his hands threw his hair, yanked on the ends. "Its my wife! How could she be a threat?"

"Look through her file. We should look through her file, see if Wyatt identifies any anomalies," came a tiny voice.

Wyatt slowly closed his eyes, and silently cursed whoever in the universe could hear his thoughts. Fuck. Fuck, he had completely forgot. He dropped his head, and then looked to his left at Lucy. Of course it would be Lucy who would think straight through all of this.

Wasn't that why he was falling in love with her?

* * *

Lucy's mind was racing. She recalled the arguments about time travel, throughout her time with the team as well as before Connor Mason had dared to bend the folds of time. Butterfly wings, she thought. An action in one time, just the brush of butterfly wings, could have catastrophic repercussions years away. But whose butterfly was the cause of this repercussion? Was it something they did to bring Jessica back? If so, then it was an absolute miracle, one that she should not, could not interfere with. But if it was Rittenhouse? Well, after months with her mother and Emma, she knew it certainly wouldn't be out of the goodness of their hearts. But how could they really determine….

"Look through her file. We should look through her file, see if Wyatt identifies any anomalies. If there is anything alarming, it could mean Rittenhouse played a role."

She watched as Wyatt's head turned and looked at her. The blues of his eyes swirled with pain, with misery, with hope, and she wanted to just grab his face and tell him she needed him, just like at the Alamo. But she couldn't. Not with this.

Denise nodded. "Lucy's right. Every time Rittenhouse changed history, we've found proof in the files. Let's see what we can do. Jiya, print out copies of Jessica's file so you and Wyatt can go through it together. I'm sorry Wyatt, but we have to do it. Lucy, you look through your history books to decipher if there was another reason Rittenhouse would have gone to 1980 in San Diego. Conner, try to figure out how Anthony added the capability to move within your own timeline."

Lucy nodded. She would research, but she knew that nothing that would have historical importance occurred in San Diego in 1980. Of course, then again, she had also known that Jessica Logan had died at the hands of a murderer, so who knew how things had changed?

"What about me, guys? What's my school project?"

Lucy's mouth gaped as she swung around to look at Flynn. Flynn smirked and shrugged. "What? Can't I lighten the mood a little? I just got out of a jail, I got to live a little."

Lucy just shook her head, and turned back to Denise. "Let's get started," she said.

* * *

Wyatt stared at the file in front of him on the table. He had started with the end. Jessica was still a bar tender, just like she had been before. Just, now, she was, you know, _alive_. He was dazing out when suddenly he felt a soft poke into his shoulder. He started and glanced up to see Jiya looking at him from across her chair at the table.

"I know it's a lot," she whispered. "And I know you want to know about what she must be like, but if we want to see if Rittenhouse changed anything, it would be better to start at the beginning. If they were the ones that caused this, they started in 1980, before Jessica was even born."

Wyatt sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Yea, makes sense. Its just…" he dropped his hands and fiddled with his fingers. God, he had taken his wedding ring off. Of course, he had moved on to "new possibilities."

With that thought he stole a glance at the next table over, where Lucy sat with a laptop and numerous American history books surrounding her. She had done that thing where she lost track of her pens. She had one swept up in a twist in her hair, one in her mouth, and one in her hand as she wrote. She was wearing those sexy little black glasses of hers – oh God. No. No, he could not think of her, and sex, and the way she had moaned under him just a few nights ago as he had pushed into her –

"Do you want to know what you are like together?"

Wyatt jerked her attention back to Jiya. "What? Who?"

Jiya stole a glance at Lucy, and then back to Wyatt. "You and Jessica? Do you want to know what you are like?"

Wyatt swallowed. Did he? They hadn't always been the best. "Yea," he gasped. "Yea, I do."

Jiya nodded. "It seemed hard on you, and her. I mean, with the missions you had to take off at a moment's notice, and sometimes be gone for days. You said she was really patient, but that you worried she would think you were cheating on her. It seemed like you wanted to make things better for her, but it frustrated you because you didn't know how."

Wyatt nodded. "So, she didn't know?"

Jiya shook her head. "No, you and Lucy weren't allowed to tell your significant others."

Wyatt nodded, and then stopped. "Wait, Lucy's 'significant other'? Who was her 'other'?"

Jiya smiled. "Oh, it wasn't anything like Jessica. She went on a mission, came back and suddenly she was engaged to this guy named Noah."

"Oh." Wyatt closed his eyes a moment. Thank God it wasn't another one. "Yea, that was the same in our timeline."

Jiya's smile faded. "Yea, so…yea, you two were fine. Stressed but, fine. Its not like you were looking to, you know, sleep with anyone."

Wyatt swore he blushed. He never would have cheated on Jessica, but she was dead, and did it even count as cheating if your wife had _actually been_ dead and then brought back to life? Wyatt gave Jiya a quick look. "So, start from the beginning you said?"

Jiya quickly looked back down at her notes. "Yea, the beginning."

So, back to the beginning of the files they went.

* * *

Lucy slapped the book closed. This effort was worthless. She knew, _she knew_ nothing had happened in 1980 in San Diego, and her searching just seemed to confirm that. She rolled her neck, and through her lashes stole a glance at Wyatt. He hadn't so much said a peep directly to her since learning his wife had been resurrected. Wait, could you be resurrected if you were never dead to begin with, but only in this time line? A question for time travel philosophers.

With that thought, Lucy stood up and started walking towards the kitchen. Tea. She needed tea, and now. She opened a cupboard, pulled out a mug and the box of tea bags. It wasn't the good stuff, but at least it was some sort of black tea. God knew she needed it strong right now.

"Care to make me some too?"

Ugh. Just ugh. Not now.

Lucy looked over her shoulder to see Flynn standing behind her. "We didn't get a lot of warm tea in prison, after all," Flynn said.

Well, she couldn't deny him after that, could she?

Lucy went through the actions of making two cups of tea. She had done it so often, she hardly had to think about it. Which was good, because under the circumstances, she felt like she could hardly add two plus two. "Here you go," she murmured, handing him a large blue mug.

Flynn sniffed his mug delicately, and then delicately swallowed. "Hmm," he murmured. "Certainly not the best, but better than any garbage in the prison.

Lucy gave him a weak smile. "Yea, its not exactly homey here, but you know, we make do." She leaned against the counter and looked at the red mug she held between her hands. The mug made her hands warm, but it didn't seem to reach that aching cold pit in her stomach that had grown since learning the news about Jessica.

Flynn eyed her over the rim of his mug. "Perhaps this is what does it," he said quietly.

Lucy looked back up at Flynn. "Does what?" she asked.

Flynn look at her solemnly. "Makes you hard. Makes you write the journal. Makes you come to me. Maybe Wyatt's gain is your loss, and makes you finally snap."

Lucy stares at him. She wants to tell him he is wrong. That she is ecstatic for Wyatt. That Wyatt's wife coming back means maybe there is hope for Amy, hope for all of them.

But she knows she would be lying. And she fears that Flynn could be absolutely right. And then she realized. The journal. _The fucking journal!_

"It's here! In the file! It's her brother. Her brother is alive, and he shouldn't be."

* * *

Rufus was monitoring the control board. He felt useless. Wyatt was sitting there, trying to determine if his wife was really back in his life, Lucy was sitting there, forlornly trying to find a needle in the historical time-sack, and he could do nothing to support them. But he could support the Lifeboat. He knew how to do that.

"It's here! In the file! It's her brother. Her brother is alive, and he shouldn't be."

Rufus turned to see Wyatt stabbing the file with his pointer finger. Denise turned off her phone and came running to look over Wyatt's shoulder. "What do you mean, he shouldn't be?"

Wyatt leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms his chest. "In my timeline, Jess' brother died of cancer when she was almost 2. She never said many details other than that. They were incredibly poor, and back then hardly anything was known about child cancer."

Jiya leaned over and scanned the document. "But according to this, Jess' brother is alive. It says he was treated for Leukemia using breakthrough stem-cell research."

Rufus stood up and began walking towards the table, all while scratching his head. "Wait, stem-cell research? In 1980? Wouldn't that have been hell of expensive?"

Lucy walked up and stood next to Rufus. "Maybe not, not if he got into a research program. I mean, back in 1980 I didn't even think stem-cell therapy was a concept yet. At the time, a lot of focus was on the study of AIDS and HIV. Cancer research kind of got the shaft."

Wyatt shook his head. Then he slammed back from the table and began to pace. He turned to Denise. "What does this mean, Denise? Is my wife who I remember? Is she like Lucy's mom, once a kind mother now a crazy Rittenhouse person? What can I do here?"

Denise shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't know Wyatt. I didn't see this coming."

Rufus muttered under his breath, "I don't think anyone did."

"Flynn did."

Everyone turned to stare at Lucy. When they say her glaring at Flynn, everyone's eyes shifted to him.

Flynn crossed his arms and rocked back on his heals. "Pardon me?"

Lucy marched towards Flynn and stood toe to toe with him. "The journal. This whole time you've claimed you've known what Rittenhouse would do, what we would do, through that damn journal you claim I wrote. So prove it. What does it say about Jessica? Hmm?" At this point, Lucy lifted her hands and shoved Flynn backwards. "What does this supposed fortune-telling journal say about this? Did you know that she would come back?" Lucy continued to shove Flynn, hitting him in the chest and punctuating each of her questions. "Did you know all of Wyatt's dreams would come true? Is she Rittenhouse or not? What does it say, Flynn? What are you not telling us?!" Next thing Lucy knew, Wyatt's strong arms banded across her arms from behind, and pulled her off Flynn. "Lucy, easy –"

That's when the blares went off.

Rufus raced back to the control board. "September 22, 1962. The Mother Ship jumped to that time."

Lucy went limp in Wyatt's arms. "That's the Salem Witch Trials," Flynn and Lucy mumbled.

Rufus stared at Lucy and Wyatt. Goddang, they just couldn't get a break.


	4. Chapter 4 - What is a Mother to Do?

_A little Rittenhouse planning. In a couple of chapters, you will get Jessica's point of view!_

 **Chapter 4 – What Is a Mother to Do?**

Carol sat on an antiqued wingback chair biting her thumb as her grandfather, that silly child, listened to his precious music. He had at least conceded to listen to a record player when he heard its auditory superiority. But he still insisted on that early, scratchy 1900s music, which drove Carol up the wall.

Suddenly, Emma flounced into the room with a happy grin on her face. "Tell me Logan's wife has joined us," she demanded excitedly.

Carol sighed. "Yes. The Rittenhouse doctor you travelled with grew up to 'discover' cures related to stem cell research, and Jessica's brother, Kevin, received his treatments and survived childhood Leukemia. Bartholomew introduced me to the family as his step sister, and Kevin's mother was so thankful, she immediately allowed me to befriend her daughter, Jessica. I have been mentoring her about her role ever since. We just have to notify her about what to do next."

Emma smiled. "Excellent. Time for the second part. Now you and I go to Salem, Massachusetts and have a little meeting with Princess."

Carol turned towards Nicolaus. "Will you not consider another way?"

Nicolaus frowned, but didn't even take his eyes off the record player. "Emma is right. We need Lucy to come to her senses. We wait long enough for her knight to learn of his beloved, then we send her to Salem where she decides who is more important – her family, or the team that is crumbling around her? If she choses them, well, that's her decision."

Carol sat back, biting her thumb. She thought of the incredibly old letter opener, sharp and thick, in her room. Perhaps her daughter would do as they asked. Or perhaps she would be stubborn as always.


	5. Chapter 5 - Next Stop, Salem

_Back to our favorite team!_

 **Chapter 5 – Next Stop, Salem**

"That's the Salem Witch Trials," Flynn and Lucy announced in tandem.

No. Goddamn it no. Wyatt could NOT get a break.

Here he was, trying to figure out if he was in heaven, or hell, or some kind of fucked up limbo, and now Rittenhouse had to mess even further with that.

He slowly let go of Lucy, and stepped back. "Fine. We have to go. We need to go find Rittenhouse, now, and when we do, we make them tell us what the hell is going on." Wyatt stated.

"No, no wait. What does Rittenhouse have to gain by going back to the witch trials?" Denise asked.

"Any number of things," Lucy spoke up. "They could spark more outbursts throughout the American colonies. There were already a few other towns and cities experiencing some of the same unrest, including –"

"No." shouted Wyatt. "No history."

"But –" Lucy stuttered.

"Not now. We just need to go, get it taken care of-"

"No, Wyatt, I can't let you do that," interjected Denise.

He stared at her. "The hell I can't! We need to get Emma, find out what the hell is going on. She is their only pilot, she has to know what they did in San Diego 1980!"

Denise nodded. "I understand that Wyatt, but you are emotionally compromised."

"Emotionally compromised! Are you kidding me?"

"No, I am not kidding you! You just found out that your dead wife is actually alive! And now there is a chance she was brought back by the bad guys, for who knows why. You will be distracted out in the field, and be a burden to the team. Lucy and Rufus are experienced, they can handle it. Besides, it was mostly Puritans, right Lucy? They were mostly peaceful people."

"Yea, except all that hanging and stoning," Flynn quipped.

He _hated_ that he agreed with him, but he pointed at Flynn and said, "Yea, what he said. We need some muscle."

"I hate to agree with Flynn," Lucy started, "but honestly, the 1600s were not an easy time for women and black men. We could use a white male just to at least make things a little easier. Like, you know, not getting us in prison."

"You see!" Wyatt leaned in towards Denise. "I'm needed!"

"No," Flynn stepped up. "A white male who can fight is needed. Which, I just so happen to be."

Oh, _hell no._ Wyatt just couldn't handle it. His vision turned red, and next thing he knew, he was charging that tall, Croatian bastard. He tucked his head down, and wrapped his arms around Flynn's waist and forced him to the ground. He heard everyone shouting, screaming, but he didn't give a rat's ass anymore. Flynn just laid there stunned, as Wyatt gripped the front of Flynn's shirt and shook him.

"Did you plan this? Did you? What did the journal tell you?"

Flynn held his hands up, away from Flynn. "I don't know! The one time I left the journal here, in the present, and took the Mother Ship, it had changed when I got back. Who knows how many times it has changed since I've been in prison. What I know could be useless. For now, we have to get to Salem."

Wyatt shook his head and punched Flynn in the face. "Wrong answer! What did the journal tell you?"

Wyatt felt arms wrap around him, trying to pull him off Flynn, but he just shook them off. "Tell me!"

Flynn suddenly surged up and knocked Wyatt off. Wyatt felt the hard cement under his back, and suddenly he was flipped over and sat on. He heard Flynn shout at him, "I don't know! The journal didn't say anything about this happening."

"Enough!"

Wyatt and Flynn both shifted and looked at Denise. She had her hands up and stepped towards the men. "Enough. Wyatt, the journal is locked in evidence, along with everything else the government confiscated against Flynn. I will go retrieve it and bring it back for us to review. Meanwhile, Lucy, Rufus, and Flynn will go to Salem and try to save history. Again. However morbid it may be. End of discussion."

Wyatt closed his eyes and banged his forehead against the floor. Goddamnit.

"Meanwhile, Lucy, Rufus and Flynn will go to Salem and try to save history. Again. However morbid it may be. End of discussion."

* * *

Lucy shuddered a bit at Denise's orders. No, no, the team was she, Rufus, and Wyatt. Not maniacal Flynn. Yea, sure he had helped some, but he was legitamitly crazy.

 _You and I are going to work together one day. We're going to make quite a team._

 _Perhaps this is what does it…makes you hard. Makes you write the journal. Makes you come to me. Maybe Wyatt's gain is your loss, and makes you finally snap._

Flynn's words flew through her head. And then her own words came to her.

 _Maybe we have to be open to possibilities._

Flynn was slowly standing up, and Wyatt followed behind him. Wyatt leaned against the wall, bracing against his forearms while Flynn achingly rubbed his cheekbone. Before she knew it, the words were escaping her mouth. "Denise and Flynn are right. We have to go, and we should take him with us."

* * *

Rufus couldn't believe the words that came out of Lucy's mouth.

"Excuse me, are you crazy? Do I need to remind you, again, that Flynn SHOT me? And he held you at gunpoint once."

Lucy shook her head. "Look, I don't like it any better than you do. But he's already been through time travel –"

"And I'm useful in a fight," Flynn added.

"he understands the implications –"

"And I'm useful in a fight," Flynn waved.

"And he can stand tall and just glower at people."

"Wait, seriously? I do not 'glower'" Flynn retorted.

Rufus glanced at Flynn and looked him up and down. "You totally glower." He looked back at Lucy. "Why can't we take Wyatt?"

"Yea, why can't you take Wyatt?" Wyatt asked. He turned away from the wall and stepped towards Lucy and Rufus. "Look, I understand things have been crazy, but I got this. I may not know every detail about the Salem trials, but I know things were really bad for women, and I'm sure as hell not about to see Lucy burning at some stake!"

"They hung the women, not burned them at the stake."

The team turned and stared at Flynn. He stepped towards them. "I admit, the idea of busting out of maximum security prison only to attend a Pilgrim party doesn't thrill me, but the fact of the matter is, one of us has to do it. As the only other person here with a dead wife, I assure you, even if you think you are okay, you are not." Flynn looked hard at Wyatt. "You will be distracted, without even meaning to, and just a moment could cost anyone, including Lucy, their life. It could even cost us the mission of stopping Rittenhouse."

Wyatt and Flynn stared at each other. Rufus was reminded of the old West, and the stand offs and the music. As they stared at each other, Jiya sidled up to him. "Rufus, Pilgrims…" she whispered.

"Not now Jiya," he whispered back.

"But maybe you shouldn't go-"

"No, Jiya. I'm going. End of story." They were likely about to lose one of their team members. He wasn't going to leave Lucy in the cold without them both.

Denise stepped up to Wyatt and Flynn. "Its settled. Flynn, you go with Lucy and Rufus to protect them, and only protect them. Wyatt, you stay back with me to review the journal and configure a plan of action moving forward with Jessica."

Wyatt shook his head and rolled his eyes to walk off. Flynn grinned. "Great." Flynn clapped his hands. "Where are the guns?"

"Oh hell no! You shot me, remember? No way am I letting you have a gun on my ship so you could shoot me in the back!" Rufus shouted at Flynn.

Flynn shook his head and shrugged. "What, like shooting you in the back is the only way I could kill you?"

Rufus sighed. This was going to be a long fucking trip.

 **The next chapter will be from Jessica's point of view.**


	6. Chapter 6 - What Will Be Left?

**_Okay, I ended up writing a major Lucy/Wyatt angsty chapter, and it is my absolute favorite so far in this story! I promise we will be getting the Jess POV chapters soon. In the meantime, enjoy! And remember, I always appreciate any feedback, both positive and critical._**

 **Chapter 6 – What Will Be Left For Her Here?**

"What, like shooting you in the back is the only way I could kill you?"

Wyatt was just _done_ with that statement. He stalked out of the room and went to his bunk.

This was not the way he had imagined this scenario. When he had imagined getting Jessica back, it had been coming back from a mission where they had planned something, finding her standing there waiting for him with open arms. But that was before he had known about Rittenhouse's involvement, before they had learned even Lucy's own mother had been Rittenhouse the whole time, before they knew about time travelling sleeper cells, before Lucy and he –

God, Lucy and he.

He knew what it felt to be thrown away, knew it from his father's hands. He refused to ever make anyone he cared about feel that alone and used. And now there was Lucy. Lucy, with her brilliant mind, and sweet smile. Who just kept chugging, despite all the crap that this job had thrown her way. Did she feel that way now, alone and used?

Wyatt laid down on his bed and closed his eyes. Lucy didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He had finally moved on, found a woman he was falling in love with, and now his wife was back? Did that technically mean he had cheated on his wife?

"Knock, knock."

Wyatt lifted his arm to see Rufus standing at the door. "Can I come in?" Rufus asked.

Wyatt nodded and swallowed. "Yea," he said, once he could trust his voice.

Rufus shuffled in and sat on the opposite bed. He stared at his feet, looked around the room and said, "So, your wife may be back, huh?"

"Yup." Wyatt answered.

"And, you and Lucy, while in 1941, you –"

"Yup." Wyatt answered.

Rufus nodded. "Well. That sucks."

"Yup."

They both sat quietly. "Jiya is getting us some costumes," Rufus started. "Lucy said that Salem was small, and since there wouldn't be many clothes lines to steal from, and certainly no department stores, it would be easier if we could already have something on. Apparently, a nearby theater showed _The Crucible_ last year, and agreed to lend their costumes to Connor Mason's new art project."

"Hmph." Wyatt grunted. He sat up. "Rufus. You have to do something for me. You have to look out for Lucy. I don't trust Flynn yet, and this time period – it isn't good for her. She's smart and beautiful, and she's going to catch someone's attention. You have to make sure she comes back okay, all right?"

Rufus looked at Wyatt. "Why don't you tell her to come back yourself? You started this relationship with Lucy, Wyatt. Now you may have to decide what you are going to do about it. Lucy deserves at least that from you."

"Why Rufus? What good would it do?" Wyatt leaned forward, imploring his friend. "What do I have to offer her now? 'Hey, guess what, I think I'm falling in love with you, but my dead wife, who I've been pining for, is back from the grave, and either she is in love with me, or she may be a bad guy and try to kill us.' I can't tell Lucy to come back for me. I can't tell her to do that, when I may not be here for her to come back to at all."

* * *

"I can't tell Lucy to come back for me. I can't tell her to do that, when I may not be here for her to come back to at all."

Lucy was walking towards the guys' bunks to find Rufus when she heard Wyatt pouring his heart out. She thought her heart was already broken, but she was wrong. It had just been cracked. And now Wyatt had stomped all over it and broken it into little bits.

She turned and raced towards her bunk. In it stood Jiya, laying out the outfits. Jiya looked up. "Hey, did you find Rufus? His outfit is right here."

Lucy nodded. "He's back in the man cave. I didn't want to bother so…maybe you could take it back to him. I'm sure you and Rufus would like some time together before we leave for who knows how long."

Jiya solemnly watched Lucy. "Rufus told me, you know."

Lucy closed her eyes briefly and grabbed for a piece of clothing. "Told you what, exactly."

Jiya started to help Lucy undress. She always helped Lucy with the difficult period dress. "About you and Wyatt, getting together in 1941. It sounds like in your timeline, it was a long time coming."

Lucy looked over her shoulder at Jiya as they slipped the undergarments on over her head. "Really? He said that?"

Jiya began tying a string at Lucy's neck. "Well, apparently Rufus and I had a bet? He told me he won the bet."

Lucy chuckled. "A bet? Hmmm." But the string of mirth slipped out of Lucy's grasp. "It's true. Wyatt and I. We were together. We, we slept together. One night, in 1941. But, Jiya, I had no idea he was married. Or, no that's not right. I knew he was married. But she was dead, and we didn't know she wasn't."

"I know." The women were quiet as they finished transforming Lucy. Jiya pat her on the back and turned her around. Lucy looked like an honest-to-God pilgrim. "I know. And I know we talked about Wyatt being too distracted for the mission. And I didn't want to bring it up in front of Denise. But, Lucy, are you too distracted for the mission? Should you be going? The Salem Witch Trials weren't for the faint at heart."

Lucy nodded. "No, I'll be fine. Believe me, this is the time period I have dreaded going to. I've been preparing for it. I'll be the top of my game. And if I'm not," Lucy looked down at her outfit, "who is left to care if I come back?"

* * *

"And if I'm not, who is left to care if I come back?"

The words struck Wyatt through the heart as he walked by the door on his way to the Lifeboat bay. He had done this. He had broken Lucy, his beautiful Lucy, down to nothing.

No, he thought. No, Rittenhouse had done this. First, they took away her Amy and her dad. Then, they took her mother. And now. Now, they were taking him too.

Goddamnit.

Lucy walked out, and plowed right into him. She was a klutz, his Lucy.

"Oh!" she cried out. He grabbed her and steadied her before she toppled them both over. "Easy," he murmured to her.

Lucy jerked her head up and looked into his eyes. Her hair was pulled back, and she was wearing a stark black cloak over a dark dress, emphasizing her alabaster skin. Her eyes searched his, like she knew the torment he was feeling. Suddenly, a look of resignation came over her, and she pulled back quickly, her arms sliding out of his hands. "Sorry about that," she whispered.

"Don't" he gasped raggedly. "Don't be sorry." He grabbed her chin. "Not about _any_ of it."

Lucy looked at him. He didn't need to lay it out. She knew what he meant.

"You're going to be careful, all right? You're going to watch your back, both for Rittenhouse, and for Flynn."

Lucy nodded. "I know. I think I can trust Flynn, we're on the same side."

Wyatt's hand slid down her neck to her arm, and he stepped into her. "I don't trust him, not yet. I've always thought he was out for himself, and now that he isn't being straight with us about the journal, and about Jessica, I think that is true even more. I'm not going to be there to watch your six. And of all the times we've been sent, this is the worst time this could –"

It hit him. This was the worst time this could happen.

It all fit. Jessica coming back, _now._ Rittenhouse going to Salem, _now._ Rittenhouse had tried to kill Wyatt and Rufus once. Emma had tried to kill Lucy once. Each time they had failed. But the time Rittenhouse had got closest to succeeding and defeating their team was when Rittenhouse had successfully split Lucy and Wyatt, when Lucy was willing to take her own life while she thought Wyatt was dead. Now Wyatt and Lucy were being split apart, again, and Lucy was heading off to arguably the most dangerous time for women in American history.

Lucy nodded and pulled her arm from his grasp. She moved past him and began to walk away. "You taught me well, Wyatt. And Rufus. We'll make sure to watch over each other. And I'm going to find out from Flynn what is going on with Jessica."

"No, no wait, Lucy –" Wyatt started.

Lucy kept walking. Wyatt ran up and grabbed her hand, but Lucy yanked it back. "What, Wyatt? What? What do you want from me?"

"Say you'll come back. Promise me, you'll come back." Wyatt implored.

Lucy shot him a small smile. "We will certainly try our best." And with that she walked away, leaving Wyatt broken and fearful that together he and Rittenhouse had finally broken the un-sinkable Lucy.

 _ **Poor Lucy and Wyatt.**_


	7. Chapter 7 - Jessica: A Life - Part I

_**Okay everyone, as promised, here is a chapter from Jessica's POV. I will actually have several of these - I don't see how I could write this and not include her story. I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to leave me some feedback! Thank you!**_

 **Chapter 7 Jessica – a Life: Part I**

Jessica remembers the first time she met her. Her mom had dressed her in a pretty pink dress, and insisted on brushing her hair and fastening it with a bow. Jessica was so excited to wear the new dress, that she didn't care who came to their home. She vaguely remembered her mom pushing her forward, and then a regal blonde stooping down to Jessica's eye level. "Hello Jessica," the blonde woman said. "I'm Carol." Carol smiled and took Jessica's hand daintily. Jessica had noticed the shiny earrings the woman wore, and lifted her hand to touch them when her mother swatted her hand away. "Don't do that!" her mother had whispered raggedly. But Carol just laughed and responded, "Do you like them? You can touch them, its okay." With that, Carol won over Jessica as a four year old child.

After that, Jessica always got excited any time her parents told her she would get to see their friend, Carol. Carol always paid extra attention to Jessica, and smiled at her. She brought little books about famous historical figures, and told Jessica that maybe she too would be significant to America's history as well. Carol made Jessica feel important and cherished, unlike her own parents. Jessica knew Carol had studied and taught history, and Jessica always look forward to discussing what she was learning at school with Carol whenever she could.

As she got older, Carol began asking to take Jessica out on the town, just the two of them, and Jessica begged her parents to let her go. Jessica's parents had no qualms – after all, it was Carol's step-brother who had helped cure Jessica's brother from a deadly disease. They told Jessica that whatever Carol or her step-brother wanted from them, they would be more than happy to do in appreciation for their actions. Carol began taking Jessica to book sales, cafes and movies. She always found a way to put a historical spin on their outings, particularly related to American history. Sometimes they would get into philosophical discussions, hypothesizing how a change in history would change America's present status, such as if Abraham Lincoln had survived, or if the Vietnam War had never occurred.

Carol helped inspire Jessica to be something great. But when Jessica met Wyatt at the tender age of 14, her world narrowed down to only him. She was absolutely smitten with him, and fortunately for her, it seemed he felt the same. They would meet under a large oak tree sometimes close to their high school, and it was there that one day he suddenly leaned in, and gently kissed her lips. She was an absolute goner, and was absolutely, madly in love with Wyatt Logan.

Jessica walked next to Carol, as they casually shopped through a trade fair looking for antiques. She had just earned her license the week before, and Carol had graciously let Jessica drive her sporty little red convertible. "I'm in love." She blurted out.

Carol stopped in her steps and cocked her head. "Oh? In love? And at such a young age?"

Jessica blushed and nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I know, I know. I'm only 16, my parents already told me. But, you would really like him. I mean, he's come from a tough background, but he wants to be a soldier, just like his granddad. It doesn't get much more patriotic than that, right?"

"Yes," murmured Carol. She grabbed Jessica's arm and tucked it through hers, then urged her forward. "And just what is this young man's name, exactly?"

"Wyatt Logan" Jessica answered. She felt Carol stumble next to her, and she steadied her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Carol nodded, and took a breath. "Yes. Yes, of course. And Wyatt. What a nice, classic name for a boy. Reminds me of Wyatt Earp."

Jessica grinned. "I told him that, and he just rolled his eyes. He doesn't really get the whole history thing, you know?"

Carol looked deep into Jessica's eyes "Imagine that," Carol replied.

As Jessica's relationship with Wyatt deepened, Jessica felt Carol was the only one who supported them. Wyatt's dad was a lousy nobody. Jessica's own parents constantly nagged her about how serious they were and how hot-headed Wyatt could be. They warned her that he could drag her down. But not Carol. Carol seemed to be the only one who encouraged their relationship. Jessica called Carol one night and asked that Carol be there the night of their junior prom to meet Wyatt and take pictures, but Carol declined, one of the only times in her life she could recall Carol doing so. "My own daughter is having her prom, and I need to be there for her."

"You have a daughter?" blurted out Jessica. All these years, and Carol had always evaded any questions about herself. She had never revealed anything so personal.

Carol cleared her throat over the phone. "Yes. She's close to your age."

"What's her name?" Jessica asked. She couldn't say why, but suddenly she felt jealous.

"Lucy," responded Carol. "Her name is Lucy."

Her senior year, Jessica began seriously considering what she wanted in life. She would go to the bookstore and glance at the wedding magazines, but then purchase Smithsonian magazine instead. She started to work at the local library in order to boost her resume, and earn some cash. She spent money on typical girl stuff, but she also saved away some for college. She wanted to become a history professor, just like Carol. She was working at the library counter the week of her 17th birthday, when Carol suddenly walked up. "Carol!" shrieked Jessica. "Hi! What are you doing here?"

Carol reached over the counter and grasped her hand. "I think I caught you near the end of your shift. Do you think you could take off a few minutes early, and we could go grab a coffee?"

Jessica huffed slightly. "Sure, I guess. It's a slow night. I'll check with my supervisor."

Jessica's supervisor acquiesced, and Carol drove Jessica to pick up a coffee. However, instead of parking and relaxing in the coffee house, Carol ordered through the drive through, then drove them to a dark park, quieting Jessica when she started to ask any questions. Carol finally parked and stepped out of her car. Jessica stepped out as well, and noted a red haired woman facing a fountain. Carol grabbed Jessica's hand, and led her towards the fountain. "Jessica," she said, "I want you to meet my friend, Emma."

The red haired woman turned and smiled at Jessica. Emma was young, and appeared to have a scattering of freckles over her face. "Hello, Jessica," Emma purred, "I've heard so much about you."

Carol glanced at Emma, and then pulled Jessica so that they were completely facing each other and clasped both of her hands. "Jessica," Carol started, "I've known you almost your whole life. I've listened to you, I've supported you. Now, I ask that you do the same for me."

Jessica began to feel concerned. "Of course. Anything. What is it?"

Carol took a deep breath. "You matter more to this nation's future than you know. You don't know it yet, and it won't be for some time, but America may depend on you."

Jessica shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm part of a society called Rittenhouse. We have helped shape this country from the cradle. We have done the best we could, but there are points in history where we could have done better, and if we had, this world would be an even better place. We just have to fix history."

Jessica let go of Carol's hands. "Fix history? A society named Rittenhouse?" Jessica nervously glanced at Emma, and laughed. "What is this, some kind of birthday prank?"

Emma shook her head. "Carol is telling the truth. She's only your friend because I came to 1980 and sent Bartholomew to your family and to her."

"Bartholomew? The – Kevin's cancer doctor? What- that's crazy." Jessica took a step back. "Carol, tell her that's not true."

Carol began to step closer. "We aren't lying, Jessica. We can prove it."

"How?" gasped Jessica. "What in the world could make me believe this?" What did Emma mean, the ONLY reason Carol was her friend? Surely she hadn't deceived her for nearly a decade.

Emma grinned, "How about a time machine?"

* * *

Jessica retched as she fell out of the time machine. "Oh, God. Are we home?"

Carol gently rubbed her back. "Yes dear. We were only gone through the night."

Jessica closed her eyes. "We did it. We actually saw Amelia Earheart fly."

Jessica heard Emma laugh. "Yup, we sure did. And if you help us, you may get see a lot more."

Jessica straightened. She glanced back at the time machine, and then glanced at Carol. "And your society, Rittenhouse. They want to make the nation better?"

Carol nodded. "Of course we are."

Jessica grinned. What she just experienced was the most thrilling, exhilarating experience of her life – even better than sex with Wyatt in the back of his car. "I'm in," she said. Carol smiled and hugged her. "Welcome to Rittenhouse."

 _ **Stay tuned for another chapter about Jessica!**_


	8. Chapter 8 - Jessica: A Life - Part II

_**Hello, everyone! Here is another Jessica chapter. After this chapter, we will get back to part of our main team. In the meantime, enjoy learning what turns Jessica's heart to stone. And remember, constructive criticism and positive reviews are always appreciated! Thanks!**_

 **Chapter 8: Jessica – A Life Part II**

Jessica anxiously tapped her right foot while she sat on the bench back at the park where Carol had blown her world to bits. To imagine that a secret society actually existed, and that it may change the course of history. She couldn't wait to learn more about her role. What part of time would she get to go back to? She had always wanted to stand with the suffragettes as they fought for women's rights, or sit at the lunch counters in support of African American equality. Oh God, it wouldn't be the early 1800s, would it? She always snoozed during those discussions.

Jessica suddenly startled when she heard a car door shut. She looked to her left to see Carol step out of a black BMW sedan, along with a young man with slicked back brown hair. Carol waved and headed Jessica's way.

"Jessica," Carol said, "I would like to introduce you to Nicholas Keene." She smiled. "He's a part of us."

Jessica stood up and shook Nicholas's hand. "Hi," she replied shyly.

Carol motioned towards the bench. "Please, let's sit here." As Jessica sat back in her pace, Carol sat on one side of her, and Nicholas the other side. "Jessica, I know you have questions. We can tell you some answers, but not everything. What we can tell you, is that you play a crucial role in American history, you can't even fathom it right now."

Jessica vigorously nodded her head. "Of course, of course. What do you need me to do? Go to a good college to study history? I've taken my SATs and scored a 1350 – I hope to get that higher. And on my ACT scores – "

Carol shook her head and grasped Jessica's hand. "No, dear," she murmured. "Your place in history is more as a kingmaker."

Jessica's brow furloughed. "What – what do you mean? A kingmaker is usually who stands to the side and lets someone else take the glory. But, you said I would be integral. ME."

Carol nodded. "And you are. You are. And you will do amazing things. But first, we need your help to get someone else to do amazing things as well."

Jessica sat back. "Who? Who will listen to me?"

Carol leaned in. "Wyatt Logan."

Jessica flinched and jerked back from Carol. "Wyatt? What does he have to do with this? He doesn't even like history!"

"But he will be a soldier," Carol replied. "One who deeply loves his country."

Jessica shook her head. "How do you know that? You've refused to even meet him."

"I can't tell you everything," Carol answered in exasperation. "Wyatt's love for his country, his emphatic patriotism leads him blind. He thinks the only people who know what is best for this country are those in power, but he's wrong. And its not his fault. But you, you have to help lead the way. If you don't, we could all be lost."

Jessica stood up and began to pace back and forth. "And what am I supposed to do? Start giving him history lessons? Introduce him to you?"

"Stay by his side. Make sure he trusts you more than anyone else. Help steer him. And most importantly, play your role when we ask of it."

"I don't understand!" Jessica shouted. "What, I'm just supposed to go where he goes? He's signing up for the Army as soon as he graduates – he's told me! I want to go to college, and be a history professor, just like you. I've been working hard on my applications. The first place I'm applying is Standford."

"No, you won't," Nicholas spoke. He stood up and got in Jessica's face. "Our mission is greater than you, greater than me, greater than all of us. We will make this nation, this world, the best it can be. And that means following every step we ask of you. If we tell you to marry Wyatt, to jump for him, to say anything to him, then you will do it."

Jessica cocked her head. "Or else?"

Nicholas stepped back. "Or else we may have to find someone else who wants to lead us into a grander world. Logan is a problem. We need it handled." He cocked his head. "Can you handle it? Or do we need someone else to make history?"

Jessica felt her heart crack, and a wedge of black resentment with Wyatt's name fill it.

Jessica swallowed and grit her teeth. After a moment, she mumbled, "Fine. I'll do it." Jessica paused, then turned to Carol. "What about your daughter, Lucy? Is she going to matter to history?

Carol looked away. "Lucy will play a role, just a different one. For now she will attend university."

"At Stanford?" Jessica questioned. Carol nodded. "To study history?" Jessica persisted. Again, Carol nodded.

Goddamn bitch.

* * *

Jessica acted as Rittenhouse's puppet. She convinced Wyatt that she always wanted to stay with him, and support him. After graduation, he proposed to her under the large oak tree, where they had kissed for the first time. When she cried, he thought it was because she was so happy, but secretly she felt trapped. They were married shortly after. She started looking for ways that she could at least make money and still travel with him. She chose bartender – the tips were good, she could get away from Wyatt most nights, and she was allowed to study history and train with Rittenhouse during the day. Carol came around less frequently, and she sent other tutors and trainers to help Jessica "prepare", although for what, she could not tell. Sometimes the training sessions were about survival skills, such as how to make a fire; other times they included combat training with various means such as jiu jitsu. Then there were her favorite sessions, her anthropology studies where she learned about the culture of the times, from mannerisms, to fashion, to colloquialisms . She was told she needed to know all of this information in anticipation of any time travel. Only that hope of visiting historical periods for herself kept her motivated to continue on the path.

She knew her attitude confused Wyatt. When he started to speak of his desire to have children, she quickly shut him down. Somedays she just couldn't handle it, and picked fights with him. In the back of her mind, she knew her commands weren't his fault, but she couldn't help but blame him. She wanted to do something great. She wanted to make history. She didn't want to support some man to do it. When she felt the most frustrated, she remembered the threats Carol gave her if Jessica were not to play her role. So, she laid on her back, and convinced Wyatt that she loved him.

One night after seeing an ex-boyfriend at a gathering, she and Wyatt were arguing vehemently. She had just about had it. They were sitting in the car, screaming at each other, when she felt her phone vibrate. She looked down to see in bright letting a message from Carol, "Whatever you do, don't get out of the car. If you insist, get out at mile marker 21."

"What are you doing? Who is that? Is that him?" Wyatt shouted. He grabbed for her phone.

"Stop! Stop it!" Jessica screamed. "That's my phone!" She couldn't let him see she was still communicating with Carol. He thought their relationship had ended years ago, at Carol's instruction.

"Give me that!" Wyatt shouted.

"No!" Screw it, she thought. She was at mile marker 21 anyways. "Let me out! Now!"

"What, in the middle of the street?" Wyatt asked incredulously.

"Yes!"

Wyatt came to a screeching halt, and Jessica practically leapt out. She slammed the door and stomped away, only to hear the screeching of the wheels as Wyatt took off. "Asshole," she muttered. She took a look around. They wasn't much around, certainly no gas stations in sight. She glanced at her phone, and saw her battery was dying and probably didn't have enough juice to call a ride. Ugh. She began to walk back the way they came. Surely someone would come along, and sure enough she saw a yellow Camaro cruising her way. It slowed to a halt in front of her, and then the driver stepped out. Jessica took a step backwards. The driver was a big man, at least 6'3" and close to 300 pounds if she was betting. "Need some help?" the man asked. He wore a trucker hat which masked his face.

"Nope," Jessica stuttered. "I'm fine. Just waiting on my ride."

The man continued to walk forward, and Jessica took a couple of more steps back. "What is a pretty little lady like you doing out here close to midnight? You know nothing good happens out on the streets at night."

Jessica gave a shaky smile. "Except friends who help each other out. Seriously, my friends will be here any minute, so you can feel free to continue on your way."

The man stopped and gave a scary smile. He had a gold tooth for his left upper incisor. Jessica could finely see his eyes, and they didn't look quite sane. "Is that some backhanded way of telling me to get? Your accent sounds like you Texan. You Texan? You think you better than me? Think I can't get me a pretty girl like you?"

"No, no," Jessica stuttered. She desperately tried to remember her self defense classes. The guy was just getting too close, and although it was freezing outside she could feel her skin getting flushed with anxiety. "I just, my friends are coming…"

"Your friends aren't coming," the man giggled. And then he lunged.

Jessica tried to turn and run, but his arms were too long. She felt her head snap back as he grabbed her hair, and then felt all of her air cut off as he wrapped a thick forearm tightly around her neck. He began to yank her into the fields beside the road. No, she thought. No, this isn't right, this isn't supposed to happen. Her vision began to tunnel as she felt her air constricted by the man.

Bang bang bang!

She tried to scream as the large man fell on top of her and dragged her to the ground, face first. She felt slick wetness begin to slide down her face, and she couldn't breathe as his heavy weight pushed her face into the dirt. Just as she began to feel weak, the heavy weight was was yanked out of the dirt and carried away in strong arms. Wyatt, she thought for a second, Wyatt had actually saved her –

"We told you, stay in the damn car. This is what happens when you don't listen to Rittenhouse – you screw it up, and almost destroy our nation."

Jessica looked up to see one of her instructors. "What – you, you knew this was going to happen?"

The man sighed. "We told you to stay in the car. If you hadn't, you would have died and not been found for days. It – it happened. Once."

Jessica began to cry. Wyatt left her at the side of the road, and left her to die. Why did he matter? Why should she care for him at all?

 _ **Poor Jessica. Remember, she is a pawn in all this. She's a victim herself. Next chapter will start back in the bunker. See you soon!**_


	9. Chapter 9 - It Has To Be You

_**Okay guys, back to our team in the present. This one was as little tricky for me, because it really sets the tone moving forward, and starts getting us further away from the canon story. I hope you enjoy it! I would love to hear your thoughts via reviews or PMs.**_

 **Chapter 9 – It Has to be You**

The wind pushed back Wyatt's hair as the time machine went whooshing through history without him. Wyatt linked his hands behind his neck just to keep from punching the wall again. Rufus once told him the position was called the "Surrender Cobra". It sounded apt about now.

"Master Sergeant," he heard. He turned to see Denise holding a black book with Lucy's initials embossed on the right bottom corner. "Care to do the honors?" she asked.

Wyatt shut his eyes and hung his head. "I – I can't. I'm sorry, I just can't. It feels wrong to read it without Lucy, and when its about my wife…" He shrugged. "Someone else needs to do it."

"I'll do it!" Jiya shouted. Denise and Wyatt glanced to see Jiya sitting at the controls with Mason by her shoulder. "I get the feeling I haven't been as prominent in the journal, so I have no problem looking through it."

"Good," Denise replied. She placed the book into Jiya's hands. "The quicker, the better."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Jiya saluted. When Denise and Wyatt just stared at her, she pointed to the table and stuttered, "I'm, um, just going to sit right over there…" and she quickly skidadled away.

"Wyatt," Denise started, "I know this must be hard for you."

Wyatt laughed mirthlessly. "You have no idea."

"I know I can't possibly understand. But I am here for you, not just as your boss, but as your friend."

"Um, guys?" Jiya interrupted.

"Jiya, you're good but you can't be that good." Denise rolled her eyes.

Jiya stepped towards them, the book open to the beginning. "Wyatt should read this. Not me."

Wyatt groaned in exasperation. "Jiya, just tell me what it says – is Jessica my wife as I remember her, or is she Rittenhouse? What did Lucy tell us?"

"That's just the thing," Jiya replied. "Lucy didn't tell us anything. The book still has her initials on the cover, but she didn't write it." Jiya closed the book and handed it to Wyatt. "You did."

"What?" Wyatt snatched the book and opened it to read aloud. "Wyatt, if you are reading this, then things have gone sideways. You can trust this book. You – wrote it? Your favorite book is secretly Tale of Two Cities."

"Wait, what? Really?" Mason asked.

Denise turned to look at him. "Seriously, that is what you are asking about here? Not why Lucy hasn't written the book?"

Mason shrugged.

Wyatt continued. "Lucy no longer wrote the journal. She couldn't. And its –" Wyatt stopped, his breath faltering.

"Wyatt?" Denise asked. "Wyatt, what does it say?"

But the book fell out of Wyatt's hands as his legs turned to rubber under him. His knees buckled and he slowly collapsed to the ground, falling to his knees and leaning hard against his left hand. "Its my fault. Oh Jesus. Oh God…"

Jiya swept up the book. "Will someone just read the bloody book?" Mason shouted.

Jiya opened the book again, and read where Wyatt stopped. "Lucy no longer wrote the journal. She couldn't. And its – its your fault she's dead."

"Bloody hell," Mason gasped.

"Salem." Wyatt rasped. "It says that Lucy died in Salem, while I was distracted with Jessica."

"Give me that!" Denise demanded, and grabbed the book out of Jiya's hands. She quickly scanned the first few pages, the only ones that were complete. "No, this can't be," she started. "It says that Lucy dies, and after that Rittenhouse pretty much wins everything, with Jessica's help. Flynn becomes disillusioned and pretty much drinks himself to death, and Rufus – oh no."

"What?" Jiya whispered. "What about Rufus?"

Denise looked up to stare at her. "Rufus died during a mission, during the March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr. Wyatt writes that without Lucy's guidance, the team was unaware that the FBI was concerned about the march being supported by communists, and he got caught in the crossfire of a gunfight instigated by Rittenhouse and Jessica to stop the march."

Jiya's breath began to hitch, and she slowly lowered herself down next to Wyatt. "No," she gasped. "No, that, that can't be. We can't let that happen." She looked back up to Denise. "How, how do we stop it?" And she looked at Wyatt. "What do we do about Jessica?"

Wyatt shook his head, feel dazed. "She's not Jessica. I mean," he rubbed his eyes, "it isn't my wife. Not the one I knew. They contaminated her. The woman I knew would never have been a part of this."

Jiya dropped her head and her hands and started to weep. Wyatt scooted closer and cupped her head with his palm, bringing her head to his shoulder. He didn't know what to say. How could he, when the journal essentially alleged that the destruction of the team was his fault?

A blare sounded through the room. Mason rushed to the control boards. Wyatt's throat felt like it was closing up. The journal had claimed Lucy died in Salem. They couldn't already be coming back without her. He couldn't handle it. "Jiya, get over here. I don't understand this reading." Mason shouted.

Jiya wiped her eyes, and scurried up to the control board. She clicked a few things on the keyboard, and her brow furroughed. "This doesn't make sense," she muttered.

"What's wrong? Is it the Mothership?" Denise questioned.

"No," Mason responded. "Its like the Lifeboat, but something seems…off."

"Off?" Denise's voice raised. "What the hell do you mean, 'off'? Who is travelling?"

Suddenly the typical BANG occurred, followed by the sight of the lifeboat.

Wyatt swallowed hard as he stood up. But he quirked his head as noticed the Lifeboat looked…funny.

"What the bloody hell?" Mason said.

"Why – why does it look like – are those upgraded panels?" Jiya asked.

Suddenly the door to the time machine slide open. And out stepped – Wyatt? With a beard? He looked straight at himself- at Wyatt – what the hell?

"Did they leave yet? Did you get the journal?" bearded Wyatt asked.

Silence reigned throughout the bunker. Then after much stuttering, Mason shouted, "What the hell? You – you can't be here! The side effects –"

"Oh stuff your shoddy side effects! You just kept telling people that because you couldn't figure out the calculation correctly, and Anthony did!" Bearded Wyatt shouted. He pointed to Wyatt. "Get me stairs, NOW."

Wyatt quickly grabbed the staircase and rolled it to the Lifeboat. Bearded Wyatt came down the stairs, wearing an Army green t-shirt, camo pants and combat boots. Following him out of the Lifeboat came Jiya, also wearing military garb, but with a GI Jane hair cut. Jiya gasped and grabbed her ponytail. GI Jiya gave a weak smile as she came down the stairs. "Don't worry, yours is still there." She lost the smile as she landed and came towards the control panel. "You and I have some work to do. We need to upload a new software suite, and get some kinks out."

"You," Bearded Wyatt boomed, and pointed at Wyatt. "I don't see the Lifeboat – did it leave for Salem yet? Did you get the journal yet?"

"Yes," Wyatt responded, hesitantly.

"Shit. Then have to get you dressed like a Pilgrim to go fly."

"What," sputtered Wyatt. "What is happening? Who are you people?"

Bearded Wyatt stepped nose to nose with Wyatt. "Don't you get it yet? We're you. Wyatt, and Jiya. The only ones left. We came as soon as we could from 2023. You are our last shot."

"How can we trust you?" Wyatt asked. "Why are you here, why now? Why didn't you just go to Salem?"

"Ugh!" Bearded Wyatt ran his hands through his short hair to grab onto his neck. "We don't have time for this shit! Jiya finally cracked the code to get us back here, and not kill all of us. We came back as soon as we could. We came to you now, not to Salem, because we needed to deliver new software and a new Lifeboat so you can continue on in the future and defeat Rittenhouse. And its us, dummy. Didn't you see the journal, where I reminded you that our favorite book is Tale of Two Cities?"

"Really, I just can't get over that," Mason added.

GI Jiya replied, "Shut up, Mason you aren't helping," as she frantically typed at the control board.

Wyatt shook his head. "Really do you – we – I – have to keep telling people that? Its embarrassing."

"No, Lover Boy, what is _embarrassing_ is that you let everyone else dictate what you do, and you let Lucy go to one of the most dangerous time periods without you. You love her, you went crazy looking for her for six weeks, and when it came down to crunch time, you froze. Now you have to fix it. You. Not future me -you-whatever."

Just that moment, Wyatt's forgotten phone, lying on the top of the control panel, buzzed.

Bearded Wyatt threw his hands up in the air. "Fuck me!" He cried. "Look!" He grabbed Wyatt by the front of his shirt with both hands. "That's their Jessica searching for you. NOT your Jessica." Bearded Wyatt's eyes teared up. "They ruined her. She will look like your Jessica, talk like your Jessica, hell she'll smell like your Jessica, but she's not. She is theirs." He looked imploringly into Wyatt's eyes. "She's not the woman you loved. You know what you have to do. You have to get to Lucy in Salem, and save her."

"I can fly Wyatt there," Jiya interruped.

"Nope," GI Jiya chimed in. "You are staying here with me so I can update you the workings of the new model and the software upgrades. Wyatt can fly himself."

"Um," Wyatt interjected, and yanked himself from Bearded Wyatt's grip. "I don't know what this time was like for y'all, but I'm not a pilot."

"You don't need to be," replied GI Jiya. "Its got auto-pilot. Just type in the date, and away you go."

"What?" shrieked Jiya. "No way!"

"Way," GI Jiya smiled. "With it being down to us two, I had to do something. You stay here – you and I have a lot to discuss while my Wyatt neutralizes Jessica, and your Wyatt saves us all."

"Neutralizes?" Wyatt asked. He turned to Bearded Wyatt. "What are you going to do?"

Bearded Wyatt sadly looked at Wyatt. "What we have to," he responded. "I told you, they've sullied her. She's an absolute, cold hearted machine. She'll do anything it takes to get what she wants, which is her special place in the history books. I'll get what I need from her first, but the new threat has to be taken care of. That text? She wants you to meet at an apartment. I'm going to go. I know what she's going to do. Lucy? She needs you. Not me. YOU." He grinned. "That's why I can't go to Salem. My Jiya needs to train your Jiya, and besides, you love this Lucy and she loves you – not me. You know you love each other, you just haven't been ready to admit it. Now, I've got your costume in the machine. Its time to saddle up, Pilgrim."

 _ **What is Bearded Wyatt going to do? How does Jessica play a role in the team's trip to Salem? What will our hero find in Salem? Stay tuned! I'll try to post sooner than later.**_


	10. Chapter 10 - What the Hell Happened?

_**Not much action in this chapter, but I feel this set up was necessary to explain my path moving forward. I watched a clip by the costume designers of the show, and they said they really tried to keep Wyatt in blues this season, so I'm trying to stick to that. As usual, I aim to please, so feel free to leave me reviews to let me know how I am doing!**_

 **Chapter 10 – What the Hell Happened?**

Wyatt went back to the showers to get dressed. Apparently, Pilgrims didn't merely wear shirts and pants – they wore vests, and strings, and an assortment of items that took a man's time to assemble. The clothes were mostly dark navy, nearly black, with long white socks. Wyatt sighed, then began to strip. He heard the door open and looked up to see Bearded Wyatt with his basket of toiletries, a pair of jeans and a navy Henley shirt. Bearded Wyatt stepped up to the sinks and turned on the water. He stripped off the Army green shirt, grabbed Wyatt's razor, and began to hack at his beard. Wyatt watched solemnly as he sat down on the chair in his boxers to figure out how to assemble all the garments. Bearded Wyatt glanced over, and then looked back in the mirror.

"Its been this way since Lucy died," Bearded Wyatt explained. "I only trim it a little here and there so no one can grab it in a fight."

"What the hell happened to you?" Wyatt whispered haggardly.

Bearded Wyatt had shortened the beard significantly, and changed the setting on the razor to a shorter set. He knocked the razor against his hand a couple of times, and then began to speak. "When Jessica came back – I was thrown. I had moved on. I had accepted that she was lost, forever, and had started to believe in love and joy again. Lucy happened, Hollywood happened. And its like, the sun was shining again, you know? And then Jessica called, like she had always been there and – I just, I had to see. I had to know. I went to the apartment, supposedly our apartment. I had a key that Denise said was mine. I walked in, and she smiled at me and she kissed me. She said how'd she missed me, how long was I going to be back. I was stunned, I felt like I couldn't think. It was _her._ Just like I remembered. She was all over me, breathing on my neck, sucking on my ear. But, I kept thinking, 'This feels wrong. This should be Lucy. Instead, my wife is _here_ and she's _alive_ and kissing me, and I should be kissing her back but it feels _dirty_ now and … then next thing I knew, nothing."

Wyatt stopped buttoning the white shirt. "What do you mean, nothing? What happened?"

Bearded Wyatt turned and stared at him. "Jessica acted, just as Rittenhouse had trained her, I suppose. She had a taser. She stunned me while I was too busy sexing it up with her, instead of standing steady with Lucy, where I should have been. Next thing I knew, I woke up, my hands tied to a bed, and Jessica and Emma staring at me."

"Emma?" Wyatt asked. "How does she know Jessica?"

Bearded Wyatt laughed, and started back to shaving. "Dude, you aren't getting it. She isn't our Jessica, she's _theirs_. She's known Emma for years. They have a close connection, and apparently it seems to center around hating us."

Wyatt shook his head, and went back to getting dressed. "I don't understand. I never did anything to Jessica. Yea, sure, I wasn't always the best boyfriend or husband, but you make it sound like she despises us."

By this time, future Wyatt no longer had his beard. Wyatt stood up to stand next to him. The future Wyatt had a scar through his left eyebrow that he hadn't noticed earlier, and looked tired. Other than that, they looked very much the same. Future Wyatt looked into the mirror and into Wyatt's eyes. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out tonight. By the time I woke up, Emma had come back in the Mothership, and Lucy was gone. This time, I'm going to meet with Jessica, and end this. You are going to go to Salem to save Lucy. You _have_ to save Lucy."

Wyatt nodded his head. "Yea, I know. I will do everything possible. But Jess was my wife, too, and I know you say this isn't the same Jessica, but is there no way to, I don't know, save her too?"

Future Wyatt reached for the fresh clothes to get dressed. "No. She's ruthless, relentless. She's the one who started the gun fight that gets Rufus killed. She claimed it was her idea to kill Mason. And if we don't ever stop her, there's nothing to protect Armie."

"Jesus, Mason too? And Armie?" Wyatt repeated. "Who the hell is Armie?"

Future Wyatt squeezed his eyes closed, and then continued to pull his jeans on. "Goddamnit. I'm not supposed to tell you. The future could be completely different by then…."

Wyatt grabbed him by the shoulder. "Who the hell is Armie?"

Future Wyatt straightened, and looked into his eyes. "Armie is a nickname for Armstrong. Rufus and Jiya's son. Jessica and Rittenhouse won't stop until all of us who can stop them are gone from the face of the Earth, even a child."

* * *

Jiya couldn't help but stare at her comrade's buzz cut. She had never felt particularly attractive, but the one good thing she'd always felt she'd had going for her was her hair.

"I cut it after Emma grabbed my hair in DC during the March."

Jiya startled at the voice, her voice, but not hers…"What?" she croaked.

GI Jiya continued to type frantically at the control board. "Emma grabbed me by my hair when I tried to get Rufus out of the skirmish at the March on Washington. Then Jessica started screaming, and next thing I knew, he was bleeding from a sucking chest wound. Someone shot him, and I couldn't do anything because Emma was holding onto my hair, like a damn girl."

Jiya nodded and remained silent. GI Jiya kept typing and then stated, "I've uploaded software to run and track our upgraded Lifeboat. The plan is for you and the team to keep the new ship, and Wyatt, my Wyatt, and I will take the old one back with us. I'm leaving information here about how to go back to a timeline where you lived, but you have to be careful."

"Why?" Mason piped in.

GI Jiya finished typing and leaned back in the chair. "We used to think time was linear, that it just moved forward. And then, we thought it was a loop, where you could go back from any time beyond the point that the time machine was invented. But now, we are learning its not that simple. The farther back in time you go, you can still change some small details, but its nearly impossible to change large chunks of history so that it is impossible to recognize the past as you knew it. But the future? The future has thousands of little branches. It could go anyway, drastically. Go back too close to your own timeline, change one little thing, and by the time you travel home, you could go back to a world that is lightyears away from your own."

"So, you felt it was worth the risk to bring us this information? Why not wait for us to discover it ourselves?" Mason asked.

GI Jiya looked at him for a long time. "I've threatened everything I hold dear. But if I can get Rufus back, Lucy back, hell even Flynn? Then there may be hope for what I left back home after all, maybe even a better world for all of us."

Jiya quirked her head. "If you lost so much, what is there possibly to go back to?"

GI Jiya smiled, then lightly placed her hand on top of Jiya's. "Absolutely everything. You and Rufus – there is so much possibility. I almost didn't come, because there is so much for me back home, but I worried more that if I didn't come, it could all be taken away from me anyways."

"What?" Jiya implored. "Please, any hope you can give me –"

"Time to lock and load!" Wyatt shouted as he walked up to the control panel. Then Jiya felt like she was seeing double. There were two Wyatts, one looking like he was from the 1600s, and the other looking like her friend. "Wait, just one second. I can't even get to you two yet," she said. She looked back at her future self. "Please, you have to tell me-"

"No," Wyatt interrupted, "she can't tell you anything."

"Back off!" Jiya growled. She grabbed hard onto her future self's shoulder. "Anything at all –"

"I can't," moaned GI Jiya. "You have to understand. If I were to tell you, it could change your actions, change _our_ history. All I can tell you is to fight, fight with everything you have."

"Right, well this is all great, but can I go save Lucy now? Seriously?" asked one of the Wyatt's.

Denise walked up and cocked her head. "You," she said, pointing to the Wyatt in the modern day clothing. "You aren't mine."

"That would be me," waved present-day Wyatt in 1600's clothing. "And seriously, can we get _going_ people?"

"I'm going with you!" Jiya shouted.

"No!" shouted GI Jiya and future Wyatt. Future Wyatt pointed to GI Jiya, "You, get Wyatt set up with the autopilot." He pointed to Jiya, "You, go watch and learn, then you are staying here to man the controls, while my Jiya accompanies me."

"And where do you think you are going?" Denise asked.

"Revenge," he uttered. "We're finally making this right."


	11. Chapter 11 - Salem Seriously Sucks

_**Thanks for your patience everyone! I'm straying further and further from canon, and that takes a little more planning and editing. This chapter finds us back with Lucy and Rufus. Hopefully you like it! I'm hoping to have about four more chapters after this.**_

 **Chapter 11 – Salem Seriously Sucks**

Rufus took a look around his environment. The sky looked dark with grey heavy clouds, and the dark brown earth just further darkened the appearance of the area. The trees were barren, and there was no sign of life anywhere.

"I figured Salem would be creepy, I just thought there'd be more people." Rufus muttered. He heard nothing but the foot steps of Lucy and Flynn walking behind him. He sighed.

"Okay, Lucy, we're here. Now why the hell is Rittenhouse?" Rufus questioned. When he heard nothing but silence, he looked over his shoulder to see Lucy slowly following behind him, appearing to have dazed out. "Lucy?" he implored.

"What?" Lucy startled, looking to Rufus ahead, and Flynn beside her. "Oh, umm…I don't…I don't know." She shook her head. "This was one of the worst times in our nation's early history. Its hard to imagine they could do anything to, you know, make it worse. Right now we're at Proctor's Ledge. Few hours from now, people will be hung from that very spot. Its just awful."

"Poor women," Rufus uttered. He couldn't help but think of how some verbose, intelligent women were likely killed merely for decrying the false accusations. He wondered how women like his Jiya and Lucy would have fared.

"Some men, too. The ones that spoke up," Lucy added.

And with that happy thought, Rufus gently rubbed the front of his neck to get rid of the thought of a noose around his neck.

"Well, Flynn? What would someone full of dastardly plans be doing here?"

Flynn shrugged. "I don't know. It wasn't mentioned in the journal anywhere."

"Care to take a guess? Don't all villains think alike?" Rufus quipped.

"Ha ha," Flynn laughed, then rolled his eyes.

Rufus sighed again. They weren't getting anywhere. "Lucy, I know you don't like to think about it, but is there anything you could think of that was mentioned during your time with Rittenhouse that would help you guess where we should start? Something tells me the sooner we get out of here, the better."

"I don't know, Rufus. I don't have all the answers." Lucy snapped.

Rufus gently grabbed Lucy by the hand, and held it. "Hey, we're a team. I'm here with you. I know its been a crazy few hours. I'm not trying to push you, I'm just trying to help you think."

Lucy nodded and gulped. "I know. I know. I'm just –"

"Distracted?" Flynn interrupted.

Rufus rolled his eyes to the heavens. Lord, grant him the patience to survive this trip with that man. "Flynn, back off," he uttered.

Flynn tilted his head and leaned into Rufus' personal space. "Or what? I've seen you try to fight, Rufus, and let's just say it isn't your strong point."

"Enough!" Lucy hissed. "We have to stick together if we are going to sort this out."

Flynn kept his head turned toward Rufus, but shifted his eyes towards Lucy. He looked her up and down, and then backed away. "Yes, of course," he murmured. "It seems the best idea would be to find the sleeper agent. Would they be back towards town?"

Lucy nodded her head sullenly. "Nobody wanted to be spotted near the woods, where the so called rituals took place."

"The woods?" Rufus stopped and gulped. "Where we are?"

Lucy cocked her head and gave Rufus a sly smile. "You do realize that witches aren't real? Nothing actually happened here."

"If nothing actually happened here," Rufus said, "then what hell is that?" Rufus pointed forward at a large, grey tree with large trunks sprouting several feet in front of the group and to the left. Lucy turned her head to see a large cauldron next to the tree, and what appeared to be a pentagram fashioned from tree sticks hanging from one of the branches.

"Oh, shit," Flynn cursed.

"I saw Blair's Witch Project, and nothing good happened around crap like that!" Rufus said. He started to back away when he heard behind him, "There she is! There's Lucy Preston! She is the witch I told you about, and that must be her slave!"

Salem seriously sucks, Rufus thought. Then he realized, wait someone said Lucy's name….which couldn't bore well.

Rufus whipped around to see two women, a tall older blonde woman and an equally tall but younger red head, dressed in period clothing and standing next to a man with a face that looked pinched in the cold air, looking much like the Pilgrim version of Van Helsing, and a rather pudgy looking Puritan with a large scar down the left cheek. Rufus' eyes bulged when he recognized the women. "Emma?" he stuttered.

"Mom?" he heard Lucy gasp behind him. He glanced back to see Lucy's face lose all color. What Rufus didn't see, however, was Flynn anywhere around.

Dammit, he knew that guy was going to screw him.

* * *

"Mom?" Lucy gasped. Her heart shook and stuttered. No, no her mother may be, well, _misguided_ in her support of Rittenhouse, but Lucy was absolutely certain her mother wouldn't do anything to actually hurt her.

She watched as her mother's lips trembled. She realized the woman that had spoke, however, wasn't her mother, but Emma. Emma pointed right at Lucy. "That's right! I overheard her telling one of the other accused that she was congregating here with the devil, and setting spells to afflict the governor's wife!"

"Yes, yes you told me," the tall, thin-nosed man stated. He walked up to Lucy. "You madam, have been accused of sorcery against the Lady Phips. As such, we shall arrest you and take you to Salem, where you will be tried for witchcraft."

"No!" Rufus shouted and stepped to grab Lucy by her arm. "You are mistaken, sir. We are just passing through the area, from um…"

"Rufus, please." Lucy shushed Rufus. Oh God, she could at least save him, if not herself. She realized Flynn was nowhere to be seen – where the hell was he? "Sir, my apologies for my, um," _sorry Rufus_ , "man servant. We have been travelling this day from Boston." Lucy lowered her eyes to the ground. Maybe if she appeared meek and mild, she could get away with it. "I'm sorry, but perhaps this is just an incident of mistaken identity, mister…."

"Hawthorne," the man snarled. "I am John Hathorne, justice of the peace."

 _Oh God, this is bad._ Lucy knew Mr. Hathorne had nearly no mercy towards any of the accused women, even ordering some to be whipped.

Hathorne gestured towards Emma and her mother. "These women described you and your slave perfectly, and now we have come upon you with your witchcraft brew and talismans. I believe there is no mistaken identity here. You will come with me and Judge Sewall, where you shall be judged." With that, Hathorne grabbed Lucy's hands, and began binding them with rope. She squeezed her eyes shut. This can't be happening this can't be happening this can't be happening….

* * *

Flynn huddled as far as he could behind a fallen log. During the walk he thought he had heard footsteps, but he had let them get closer so he had a chance at fighting them. Not in his wildest dreams did he consider this scenario occuring. When he saw the clearly staged scene of witchcraft, he recognized a set up. Bet Rufus wished he had a gun now.

He listened as John Hathorne introduced himself, and knew they were really in for it. Flynn couldn't identify himself – that would only result in his own arrest. If the team had any hope of getting Lucy back, they would need his help, not him sitting in a jail cell. Flynn frantically tried to think. He did not recall reading about this in the journal. The Hindenburg, the moon landing, that had all been in the journal and actually occurred, but there were a few episodes that appeared and disappeared from the journal throughout the travels…perhaps it wasn't so far fetched that this be a new episode that had not been in the journal the last he read it _._

Flynn was certain of one thing. Lucy had saved him, years ago. A much older Lucy, with wounded eyes and desperate hope, had walked into his bar, and led him back out into the light. He owed her his life. Maybe now, it was time for him to save hers.

Flynn listened as the voices began to get fainter. He peeked around the log to see the Pilgrims leading Lucy and Rufus away towards Salem. He ducked back down when he noticed the two women, Emma and another blonde older woman, looking cautiously around the woods.

"I thought you said there was someone else with them?" he heard Emma ask.

"I – I thought there was," the other woman responded.

"Well, Carol, I'm not seeing anyone, and if Wyatt was here, there's no way he would have let those two be taken away for a trial without a fight." Emma laughed.

Flynn couldn't believe it. _Lucy's own mother…_ this was it. This had to be what changed everything for her.

"We have to leave, now, for the trial," Lucy's mother stated.

"Oh yes," Emma purred. "I can't wait for my testimony. I've been practicing my theatrics."

Flynn gritted his teeth. To imagine he had actually come to this woman for help, and now she was putting Lucy's life on the line…

"Now just wait one moment. We agreed. I'd get time to talk to Lucy and give her a chance to come with us," Carol argued.

"You will, you will. But depending on our access, it may be before or after the trial." Emma responded.

"If we don't get to her before the trial it will be much harder for her to escape with us," Carol argued.

"Just keep your eye on the prize, Carol," Emma huffed. "Remember, the ultimate goal here is to get the team out of our way, for good. You already had your shot with her once. You may have to face the facts and let Lucy go for the benefit of Rittenhouse."

Over Flynn's dead body.


	12. Chapter 12 - Light Her Up

_**Hi everyone, sorry for the delay. I got caught up in Jennifer Armentrout's Lux series (so good!), and then between work, kids, and choir I've been exhausted. I finally started back up, and I'm getting excited. Things are about to heat up!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – Ready to Light Her Up**

 _Here we go again._

Future Wyatt sat in the driver's seat of the car lent by Christopher, staring at the apartment that would change everything.

He shuddered as he remembered the last time he came to this location. The world around him had appeared blurry, his head heavy and his heart stuttering. To believe that his wife, the one he had pined after for years, could be alive that very moment was inconceivable. And to really put a spin on this turbulent night, the discovery came right after he opened himself to new possibilities and learned to love again, with Lucy – it was almost too much to bear.

He remembered nearly turning back from the apartment numerous times – it couldn't be true, it had to be a trick. But he had to see – he _had to._ Then he knocked and when Jess opened the door, it felt like he had zoomed through a tunnel. Suddenly the world sharpened around him, his heart picked up, the colors were too bright, and Jess was right there. Not fractured with dull, dead eyes, but alive and vibrant. She reached out and grabbed his shirt, whispering, "Come here soldier." Her lips crashed onto his. He stood stock still, stunned. He should have been jubilant, but he kept thinking, "She doesn't smell like Lucy." Suddenly, Jess pulled him into the apartment and closed the door, then shoved him against a wall and started ravaging his neck. "Wait," he'd muttered. "Wait, Jess, Jessica, we – we have to talk – we - "

And then nothing. Nothing but darkness. Wyatt wished it had just stayed dark. Then he wouldn't have woken up into his new life in hell.

Wyatt took a deep, cleansing breath. Not again. He would fix it. He had to.

"Sooooo, are we just going to sit here, or are we going to do something?"

Wyatt flicked his eyes over to Jiya. "So antsy, Marri?"

"Heck ya," Jiya nodded. "I'm ready to light her up."

"Nope, nope, no," Wyatt slashed his hand through the air.

"What? What do you mean no?" Jiya retorted.

"Look, Jiya, I get it. You deserve revenge more than any of us. But you have to think of who is more valuable here. Me, with almost no useful time travelling skills other than fighting, and no family? Or the genius woman who got us here, and who is a mother to the cutest little boy in the whole world?"

Jiya's eyes begin to fill. "I can't do nothing," she murmured.

Wyatt grabbed her left shoulder and began to stroke it. "I still need you. I need you to stake out the apartment, and make sure no one is there other than Jess. When I woke up last time, Emma was waiting with Jess. I don't know if she was there at the start."

Jiya's eyebrows scrunched. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Wyatt grinned, and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number. "Hello, Domino's?"

* * *

This was it. This was the day she had finally, _finally_ been waiting for. The day that Jess's life would begin, afresh.

Emma had called her hours ago and told her that it was finally showtime. Jess just needed to text Wyatt, ask him if he was coming to their apartment, and act herself. As if she hadn't already been acting that way for years. Emma told her not to act too surprised if Wyatt appeared…off, or stared at her a lot, whatever that meant. Emma also told her to distract Wyatt, and then when ready, knock his ass out and keep him there until Emma arrived. Jess rubbed the taser she had tucked into the back of her jeans. A few bolts to the neck would surely bring Wyatt to the floor.

She had sacrificed so goddamn much. Did she have a career related to the study of history? Nope, she tended drunks from Army base to Army base. She and Wyatt were dirt poor. She had to smile and bat her eyes at Wyatt, and pretend she loved him, while all she did was resent him.

It nearly killed her when she learned he had been roped into time travel for Mason industries. Not that he had bothered to tell her. Noooooo, the job was too important. Emma had informed her, instead. Wyatt didn't give a shit about history, but yet _he_ got to travel through it. It had made her nearly blind with rage. And then when she met Wyatt at a bar after a long day at work, and he introduced his new coworker Lucy, Jess was forced to act all friendly and dumb. Bleh. Lucy had everything, _everything_ she wanted. A history degree? Check. Time travel? Check. Lucy even had Carol as a mother, and Noah as a fiance, but the idiot woman had thrown him away like garbage. Bitch.

Jessica knew for a fact that Noah was a catch, both in an operating room and the bedroom. They had met at a Rittenhouse training course about first aid. If Carol had ever learned that Jess and Noah were burning up their bedroom sheets (and the kitchen counters, and the bathroom showers…), Carol would have had a conniption. But when the time came for Noah and Lucy to become an item, Jess lost him too.

Jessica was ready for it all to be over.

Jess heard a knock. _Showtime_. She pressed her face to the door to look through the peephole, and felt her shoulders slump. She whipped open the door.

"Can I help you?" Jess asked.

A thin woman's wide brown eyes just stared at her. She had a low Army green baseball cap covering her very short dark brown hair. She was holding a pizza box in her hands deeply tanned hands, and wore a simple grey shirt with brown cargo pants. The woman remained silent.

"Excuse me? You knocked?" Jess prodded.

"Oh, um, yea, I'm looking for a, um, Edward."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Wrong place. No Edward here." Jess began to shut the door.

Suddenly the woman propped her foot against the edge of the door, stopping it mid-swing. "Are you sure? Is there anyone with you who may have called it in?"

"No one else is here," Jess hissed. "Now please leave."

The woman grinned wickedly. "My bad. Have a great day!"

Jess slammed the door. From the coffee table she grabbed a glass of red wine she had poured and gulped it down. She was having to drink more and more when she was around Wyatt, just to get through their time together.

Suddenly a knock rang through the apartment. Jess ran up to the door, and whipped it open when she saw Wyatt standing in the hall. He wore jeans and a Navy blue Henley. When she opened the door, he didn't seem stunned to see her; just, very, very focused on her.

"Hiya, hunny," Wyatt greeted her loudly with a smile. He stepped in and slammed the door shut behind him. "I'm home!"

 _Time to earn your keep, Jess_ , she thought. She reached out to the collar of his shirt and hooked a finger in it. "Come here, soldier" she purred.

"Miss me?" Wyatt asked with a quirked eyebrow. Funny, he had a twinkle in his eyes that wasn't there a few days ago.

"Of course I did, I always do." Jess quipped back. Where was this supposed awkwardness? Emma had made it sound like Wyatt was supposed to be just tripping over his feet at seeing her, but this man was more confident and cocky than the last time she saw him. Jess went to kiss him, but suddenly Wyatt gripped her hips and leaned towards her ear, then bit it hard. Jess couldn't help but jerk, knowing if he felt the taser at her back, the gig would be up. "I have a surprise for you," he whispered into her ear, fingers digging through her jeans.

"Ohhhh," Jess replied. "And what could that possibly be?" Jess tried to sidestep him and get him to the wall.

Wyatt suddenly walked into her, and began backing her up to the dining table close to the entrance. Wyatt yanked out one of the chairs, and shoved Jess into it, not so lightly. Well, this was interesting. Wyatt leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "How about we play a little game?"

"Umm…"Jess gulped. Okay, this wasn't at all what she was expecting. Her heart raced. Next thing she knew, Wyatt stepped around the chair, and yanked her arms back to cross her wrists behind the back of the seat. "Ouch!" she muttered. She tried to slouch to make sure the taser stayed hidden under her shirt.

"Awww, don't tell me that hurt," Wyatt murmured. She heard something make a whir, and suddenly something tightened around her wrists. She glanced over her shoulder to see a white zip strip locking her hands together. She yanked and nothing happened. Jess began to panic. This wasn't going to plan at all.

"What the hell, Wyatt?" she growled. "Don't tell me you got an appetite for some rough play on this trip."

Wyatt leaned back toward her and just grinned. "Oh, I thought we would just have something special tonight."

"Huh," Jess responded. "Seems a little…Fifty Shades of Greyish of you."

Wyatt laughed as he reached into his back pocket. "I was thinking more, Buffy and Angel. You know, when he went bad and betrayed her." He whipped out a bandana, and suddenly forced it over Jess's eyes. "

Jess squirmed in the sudden darkness. "Okay, Wyatt, this is getting a little too weird for me. How about we take off the blindfold and go somewhere else, hmm?"

She heard silence, then she felt Wyatt's breath on her cheek. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me everything you know about Rittenhouse."

Jesus. H. Roosevelt Christ. Jess sat stunned, when suddenly she felt her hemline yanked up, and the taser pulled from her pants.

 _No, no I did not give up my life just to get stopped now._ Jess titled her chair up to stand on her feet, swung it with all her might in the direction of Wyatt's voice. Rittenhouse had trained her – now it was time to fight.


End file.
